The upgraded version of the third generation anti-tank Helina missile — SANT missile, the air to ground version, has been successfully tested, at the Pokhran field firing range in Jaisalmer district. The flight test of the missile was successfully conducted by DRDO and other officers of Indian Air force.

The SANT missile has been developed by DRDO’s research centre Imarat, in association with Indian Air force, and is an upgrade of Helina’s missile, which had a range of 7-8 km. The new missile has a range of 15-20 km and is equipped with a new nose-mounted active radar seeker, to help keep the launch platform at a safe distance, to evade defensive fire from the target area.

Sources said all the mission objectives were met during trials of the SANT missile, in which a dummy target of a tank was destroyed and the missile has been successfully flight tested for different ranges including the maximum range capability in Pokhran field firing range.

The missile is guided by an Infra-red Imaging Seeker (IIR) operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode. It is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.

Sources said the missile was tested for its Infra-red Imaging Seeker with a far greater resolution than what has been tested earlier, as per the demand of the users. A higher version seeker, with a much higher focal plane array as compared to the original plan, has been tested.